The Cunning Conspiracy of Awesome: How My New Year's Resolution To Read Less Is About To Be Massively Thwarted (As Is My Preference for Pithy Post Titles)

Not that I think everything is about me, but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Gods of Literature have gathered on Mount Papyrus to punish me for deeming 2012 my Year of Lesser Reading. As I said back in January, I have set this year aside to write. That means no 250 books, no fast living, minimal socialising and a gradual slowdown of my legal work. Alas, while I have no problem with the majority of those sacrifices, 2012 is shaping up to be one of the best years for literature in recent memory and I am dying to throw my computer to the wind and curl up on the couch with a pile of good books. I have already enjoyed newies from Laszlo Krasznohorkai, Toni Morrison, Shalom Auslander, Laurent Binet and Dan Rhodes. Then there were the ones I just haven't got to yet (Joyce Carol Oates, Ben Marcus, John Burnham Schwartz and collections from Jose Saramago and Roberto Bolano) and a couple of disappointments (I'm looking at you Iain Banks!!!!).

If that wasn't enough already, a quick glance on the literary horizon sees:
- Charles Yu returning to the short form after his incredible debut novel How To Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe. Early reports for Sorry. Please. Thank You have been glowing;
- Michael Chabon channeling his inner Nick Hornby and doing for music what he previously did for comics in the highly-anticipated Telegraph Avenue;
- Ian McEwan getting in touch with his feminine side in the spy-thriller Sweet Tooth;
- Martin Amis hoping to redeem his recent career slump with the seemingly crass state of the nation novel Lionel Asbo;
- Salman Rushdie finally giving his side of the fatwa story in his memoir Joseph Anton (expect annoying appearances from Bono);
- Enrique Vila-Matas nodding furiously at James Joyce in Dublinesque which, I hope, is more Montano's Malady than Never Any End To Paris;
- Junot Diaz, who has remained suspiciously silent since winning the Pulitzer for Oscar Wao, finally sticking his head above the water line in a new collection of short stories called This Is How You Lose Her.
- the publication of Jose Saramago's early rural novel Raised From The Ground (yep, that's two books from him in one year - pretty impressive output for a dead guy!);
- Last but most certainly not least the latest book from one of my absolute favourite living writers Philippe Claudel. If The Investigation is anywhere near as great as Brodeck's Report I can safely assume it will top my list at the end of the year.

Yes, I am being heavily tested and I already know that I am going to fail. The temptation is too great. Alas, I have no choice but to anger the Lit Gods. Prepare for paper cuts...